Fluid system



Nov. 2, 1943.

P. R. LOUGHIN 2,333,110

FLUID SYSTEM Filed Aug. 22, 1942 Fig. 1

5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

azz/ @[ouy/z/fi BY a ATTbRA/EY No v. 2, 1943. P. R. LOUGHIN FLUID SYSTEM Filed Aug. 22, v1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Pazz/ P ougfzz'zz ATTORNEY P. R. LOUGHIN FLUID SYSTEM Nov. 2, 1943.

- 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 22 1942 Sm mi INVENTOR. Pau/ P [Ozzy/7172 ATTORNEY www condition may be one of Patented Nov. 2, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLUID SYSTEM Paul R. Loughin,

Westfield, N. 1., Babcock & Wilcox Company,

assignor to The Jersey City, N. J.,

a corporation of New Jersey Application AugustXZ Z, 1942, Serial No. 455,690 6 Claims. 122-235) This invention relates to heat exchange instal- V lations, and the invention may be regarded as exemplified in superheaters or reheaters utilized, in conjunction with generators.

The invention installation which includes a header having a at the widely separated header inlets. header is supplied with superheated steam through the inlets the supply of steam from one inlet; may be conditioned differently from the steam supplied from the other inlet, and this temperature or some other condition relating to the quality of the varying condition of thesteam iromthe .m

sources is oneof temperature, thelnvention.

which the tubes are subjected to high temperatures.

(or as parts of) steam view is taken Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the reheater inlet header having conduits associated with its ends for the delivery of steam thereto from other reheater sections;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the plane indicated by the line 3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section of the Fig. 2 inlet header taken on the line 4--4 of Fig. 2; v

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view indicating the relationships of the sidewall reheater sections to the remaining section of the reheater;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged horizontal section of one end of the reheater inlet header showing the details of construction;

Fig. 7 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a detail view illustrating means for maintaining one of the steam distributors of the reheater inlet header in operative position. This on a vertical plane indicated by the line 84 of Fig. 6, looking in the direction of the arrows.

" The drawings illustrate the reheater as an inp-pass' [2. From the upper end of the pass ii, the gases flow into a down-pass l4, and

20. V The walls of the furnace i0 include crating tubes connected at their upper ends with water space header 24.

Some of the steam generating tubes have parts aligned to define the furnace wall 30 which separates the first open-pass 12 from the furnace, and other steam generating tubes define the wall 32 separating the two open-passes I2 and I 4.

The rear wall of the second open-pass i4 is defined by the vertical parts of reheater tubes 34 which have their inlet ends connected to the reheater inlet header 40. Lower parts of these tubes are more widely spaced, and are arranged to form screen 44 extending across the inlet of the convection section.

The iumaee I is fired .at high temperatures by the pulverized fuel burner 00 and :incombustible residues of the fuel flow in molten form through the slag outlet 52 at the base of thefurnace.

.High rates of heat absorption are obtained in .the walls of the open passes 12 and I4 by presenting the bare metal of their wall tubes to the furnace gases in these passes, such high rates of heat absorption effecting extensive cooling of the slag or ash particles which may be carried in suspension in the furnace gases. Thus separation of the suspended solids is promoted and the solids are so conditioned that there is a minimum of their accumulation upon the spaced tubes of the convection section. They are cooledxin the open-passes to temperatures below temperatures at which the solids adhere to the tubes.

From the steam and water drum 22 steam passes through the conduits 54 to a superheater inlet header 56, and superheatertubes '58 extend downwardly from the latter to a position below the economizer 20 where they continue in the form of return bend coils which extend across the path of the furnace gases in the convection section. In Fig. 1, three successive sets 60-62 .of such return bend coils are shown. From the last of these, the superheater tubes continue to the intermediate superheater header 64.

From the header 64 steam passes through the upwardly extending conduit 68 to a transverse header 68 to which superheater tubes are connected. These tubes are arranged in rows in the form of platens which extend through the roof I2 and thence downwardly through the second open-pass I4 at spaced positions across that pass. At their lower ends these tubes are bent to the right so as to pass through the inclined Wall 14 at the base of the installation. Beyond this wall the tubes are joined to a superheater outlet header I6 connected to a steam turbine. .After use in the steam turbine the steam passes through the reheater conduit 80 directly connected with a side wall inlet header-82. From this :header, reheater tubes extend upwardly at such positions that they form a side wall of each of the openpasses I2 and I4. The upper ends of these tubes are connected to a header 86 from which the steam passes to reheater inlet header 40. It should be understood that at the opposite side of the steam generator there are headers similar to 82 and 86, and that these headers are connected by similar reheater tubes forming the other side walls of the open-passes I2 and I4.

The arrangement of the side wall reheater sections and the remaining reheater section is diagrammatically indicated in Fig.5 in which the reheater side wall tubes 92 are shown as connecting the inlet header 90'with the intermediate reheater header 94. This figure indicates the flow of steam through the two separate reheater side wall sections to the end portions of the reheater inlet header 40. The tubes 34 of the last section of the reheater are connected at their .lower ends to a reheater outlet header I00, from which the reheated steam passes through a conduit I02 to,

a point of use.

If, during the operation of the steam generator, combustion conditions result in deposits of slag or ash particles to an extent on one of the reheater sidewall sections, greater than that on the other, steam flowing into one end of the reheater inlet header 40 may consequently be at a'temperature higher than the temperature of the steam flowing into the other end of that header. If this condition should arise, there would be nonuniformity of steam heating by the tubes 34 of the last reheater section. Such lack of uniformity is apt, not only to result in loss of overall efliciency and overheating of some of the revheater tubes,-but it .is also apt to cause damage to .a turbine utilizing the reheated steam. These undesirable contingencies are prevented by means within the reheater inlet header 40 forseparately and uniformly distributing steam from each of the side wallreheater sections throughout the effective length of the header 40. The illustrative means, shown in detail in Figs. 2,3, 4, 6, '7, and 8, not only results in uniformdistribution of the steam from the separate side wall reheater sections, but it also causes the steam supply from these two separate sources to be thoroughly mixed within the reheater header 40, before the steam passes from that header into any of the reheater alitllbes 32.

- the header 40, between the inlets 86 and 94, is provided with oppositely tapering distributors I04 and 106 which are spaced inwardly of the interior walls of the header to provide an annular steam mixing chamber I08. Each of these distributors has a flat wall joined by a curved well formed to the arc of a circle. For instance, in the drawings, the distributor I04 is shown as having a fiat wall H0 and a curved wall II2, while the distributor I06 has a flat wallI I4 and a curved wall N6, the distributors being complementary to form an overall body of cylindrical contour, as indicatedinFigs. 3 and 4.

The inlet or larger end of the distributor 104 receives steam from the header 86 as indicated in Figs. 2 and 5, and this .end of the distributor has a plate I20 fixed thereto. This plate fits within an opening in the header 40 and serves to support the distributor I04 as well as to provide a closure for one end of the annular mixing chamber I08.

At the opposite end of the header 40 the dis-v tributor I06 is provided with a similar diaphragm plate I 22 closing off the other end of theannular mixing chamber I08 and causing the steam in w the header 94 to flow through the distributor I06. Each distributor is also fitted with a plurality of longitudinally spaced groups of circumferentially distributed spacers l30-l31, as indicated in Figs. '3 and dot the drawings. These spacers serve to center the distributors within the header 40 and provide a uniform mixing chamber. As clearly indicated in Figs. 6, 7, and 8 of the drawings, the distributor I04 is held in place longitudinally of the header 40 by the bracket I40 havinga downturned end I82 extending through an opening in the distributor. This bracket is secured to the header by the cap screws I44 and I46. The distributor I06 is similarly fastened at the other end of header 40.

For the purpose of promoting the mixing of the steam from the two headers 88 and 94, the distributors I04 and I06 are so constructed as to provide for the major flow of steam into the annular mixing chamber I08, at positions opposite to the header openings through which there is communication with the reheater tubes 32.

For example, the distributor I04, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, has a single row of .outlet openings I50 along its lower side and adjacent the outlets to the reheater tubes 32, while at the opposite row of openings I 54 along its lower side and three rows of openings I56 along its upper side.

The header 46 at its ends is provided with flanges I60 and I62 for securing the flanged closures I 64 and I66. Outwardly of the flanges I60 and I62 the header is provided with weld lips I68 and I'IU adapted to fit similarly formed lips I12 and I14 on the flanged closures I66 and I64, respectively. When these lips are in contact, as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings, they may be united by circumferential seal welds, while the main load is taken by bolts connecting the main flanges.

The header 46 is also provided with inspection or access openings as indicated at I'I6-II8, each of these openings being closed by a seal weld I8I which unites a hemispherical cap (such as that shown at I80) and a tubular extension such as the extension I82.

Whereas the invention has been described with reference to the details of an installation in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is incorporated, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to all of the described details. The invention is rather to be considered as of a scope commensurate with the scope of the subjoined claims which particularly point out the invention, in compliance with the federal statutes, and particularly section 4888 R. S.

What is claimed is:

1. In steam generator installations, a steam heater including a row of spaced tubes exposed to the heat of furnace gases, means forming an inlet chamber, conduits conducting steam to said chamber, the inlet ends of said tubes being connected to the chamber at spaced positions between said conduits, and oppositely tapered tubular distributors each conducting steam from one of the conduits toward the other and to the zones of the chamber covering the range of said positions, said distributors having lateral openings establishing communication with the inlet chambers.

2. In steam generator installation, a steam heater including a row of spaced tubes exposed to the heat of furnace gases, means forming an inlet chamber, conduits each of which conducts steam to said chamber from its separate fluid heating section, the inlet ends of said tubes being connected to the chamber at spaced positions between said conduits, and oppositely tapered tubular distributors each conducting steam from one of the conduits toward the other and to the zones of the chamber covering the range of said positions, said distributors being disposed within said chamber in endwise overlapping arrangement, and having lateral openings establishing communication with the inlet chamber.

3. In a steam generator, a furnace, steam generating tubes, a steam heater including spaced tubes exposed to the heat of the furnace gases, means forming an inlet chamber to which said spaced tubes are connected at a plurality of positions, tubular means conducting steam to said chamber at spaced points between which said positions are located, and conversely tapering tubular distributors each conducting steam from one of said tubular means to the zones of said positions, said distributors being disposed alongside each other in endwise overlapping relationship within said chamber, and having lateral openings establishing communication with the inlet chamber.

4. In a fluid system, a fluid heater including a row of spaced tubes exposed to the heat of furnace gases, means forming an inlet chamber, conduits each of which conducts fluid from its separate fluid heating section to said chamber, the inlet ends of said tubes being connected to the chamber at spaced positions between said conduits, and oppositely tapered tubular distributors each conducting steam from one of the conduits toward the other and to the zones of the chamber covering the range of said positions, said distributors being arranged alongside each other in said chamber with each distributor terminating with its small and adjacent the larger and inlet end of the adjacent distributor, said distributors having lateral openings establishing communication with the inlet chambers.

5. In a steam generator, a furnace, a convection section, separate steam heating sections including separate groups of wall tubes exposed to the heat of the furnacegases at the opposite sides of a gas pass between the furnace and the convection section, a third steam heating section including a separate group of wall tubes exposed to the heat of the furnace gases, an inlet header for the third section, conduit means conducting steam from one of the first sections to one end of said header, conduit means conducting steam from another of the first sections to the other end of the header, the tubes of the third section being, connected to said header at successive positions between said conduit means, and separate and oppositely tapered tubular distributors with in said header andspaced inwardly of its interior wall, each distributor receiving the steam at its larger end from one of said conduit means. and having lateral ,openings for distributing the steam along the header as far as a position adjacent the other conduit means.

6. In heat exchangers, means presenting a fluid chamber, a plurality of separate inlets through which'said chamber receives fluid from different sources, a plurality of heat exchange tubes r'eceivingfl'uid from said chamber at spaced positions therealong, and means for separately distributing throughout the chamber the fluid received through each inlet, said last named means including a plurality of oppositely tapered tubular elements which are arranged within the chamber in a complementary manner with the larger and inlet end of each adjacent the smaller end of the adjacent distributor, said distributors having lateral openings establishing communication with the inlet chambers.

59 PAUL R. LOUGHIN. 

